Carr Fire: Will Redding victims live in tiny homes or glammed-up motels?

An excavator tears up concrete during cleanup of a home destroyed by the Carr Fire in Redding. The Redding City Council is preparing to discuss temporary housing possibilities for wildfire victims and the rebuilding crews that are expected to come to the city.(Photo: Photo credit/Michele Chandler)

Whether tiny homes or other stop-gap housing measures should be allowed in the city of Redding to benefit Carr Fire victims will be discussed at a Redding City Council meeting on Tuesday.

"My interest is if there's something we could modify or change to make it easier for people to have interim or temporary living spaces to accommodate their loss of their home before they rebuild, then that’s what I think we should be looking into," Redding Mayor Kristen Schreder said.

Even before this summer's disaster dumped hundreds of people into the housing market, housing availability and affordability have been thorns in Redding's side. The vacancy rate hovered at about 2 percent, according to Councilwoman Julie Winter.

In late August, Winter asked city staff to explore ways to solve the area’s housing shortage as displaced residents look for housing just as the fire-ravaged area prepares to receive the construction workers and others who are needed to rebuild.

Allowing fire victims who are rebuilding to live in “tiny homes” on wheels or in recreational vehicles parked on their own properties are among the options being suggested in the report to the city.

Winter said she supports those options.

Another suggestion was permitting fire victims who are rebuilding to live in tiny homes or RVs on property elsewhere in the city that's owned by friends or family members or friends.

Since current housing codes don't allow either of those options, zoning rules would have to change before those possibilities move forward.

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Lush foliage that was untouched by the fire surrounds the entrance to a destroyed Alturas Drive home in the Sunset Terrace neighborhood in Redding. The Carr Fire destroyed nearly 1,100 homes in Redding and Shasta County.(Photo: Jim Schultz/Record Searchlight)

Other ideas in the report include:

Encouraging owners of RV parks to offer their rentals to long-term tenants for the next one to two years.

Exploring fee cuts or waivers as an incentive for owners of vacant or underutilized motels to refurbish them for people needing homes.

Banning new vacation rentals for the next one to two years.

Allowing fire victims to construct an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on their property and live there until their home is finished. Also known as in-law quarters, those small dwellings are built on the same lot with the main house.

City staff also suggested putting permitting for ADUs on a fast track.

Winter said that banning new vacation rentals "is a little concerning to me" as homeowners shouldn't be "forced to rent to fire victims."

"I'll have to gather a little more information, but I kind of hate to infringe on property owners' rights," Winter said.

The report said other issues that could arise as the city looks for housing solutions include ensuring people who end up living in temporary quarters are actual victims of the Carr Fire.

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Nearly every home in the small community of Keswick proper was destroyed in the Carr Fire.(Photo: Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight)

In addition, it would have to be determined whether the city would require temporary power connections and sanitary sewer systems for the new residences. Whether the city would charge its regular permit fees would also have to be hashed out, according to the report.

Shasta County Housing Director Laura Burch has said homelessness in Sonoma County increased by 6 percent following the devastating fires in that region last year.

An effort is continuing to determine the unmet housing and employment needs of people in Shasta County and Redding. An online survey is being conducted to get those answers, Burch said this week.

“We need community/victim input in order to help guide assistance efforts for these folks,” Burch said.